I Heard You Only See Me as a Friend - Chapter 21

By the next day, Ji Wan had essentially recovered and no longer felt any physical discomfort.

Two police officers arrived early that morning to question him about the details of the incident. Meanwhile, his friends who had originally planned to spend the weekend hanging out with him were horrified when they learned what had happened. Overcome with deep guilt, they rushed to the hospital.

“I actually believed those two bastards when they said they were just under a lot of academic pressure and wanted to come relax,” Da Mao wailed, hugging Ji Wan. “I’m a complete idiot. I’m so sorry!”

Ji Wan smiled and patted Da Mao’s shoulder. “Don’t blame yourself. I didn’t see it coming either.”

Once Da Mao finished crying, he wiped his nose and looked at Ji Wan with concern. “I heard another Alpha rescued you yesterday and brought you here?”

Ji Wan nodded. Da Mao, now startled by his own shadow, viewed any Alpha appearing near Ji Wan as a potential threat. He whispered cautiously, “Is that guy trustworthy?”

Understanding his friend’s anxiety, Ji Wan explained, “He’s a good person.”

“A ‘good person’? How many criminals were considered ‘good people’ right up until they did something terrible? I don’t mean anything by it, but… you have to be on guard.”

“I know,” Ji Wan said, caught between laughter and tears. “But given his circumstances, he wouldn’t be interested in me. You can rest easy.”

A sound came from the doorway. Ji Wan looked up to see Feng Jin standing there, it was impossible to tell how much of the conversation he had overheard.

Even if he had heard, Ji Wan wasn’t worried. Given Feng Jin’s status, it was highly unlikely for any romantic feelings to develop between them. Feng Jin certainly wouldn’t be upset by such a comment.

After a night, Feng Jin’s mood didn’t seem to have improved; his face remained grim. This gloom didn’t detract from his good looks, but it made him appear incredibly formidable.

“This is the friend I mentioned who brought me to the hospital, Feng Jin. He’s my roommate,” Ji Wan introduced him to the group.

Ji Wan’s friends instinctively took a step back.

Da Mao was an Omega. In his grief and while crying, his pheromones had leaked out, quite a bit of which had rubbed off onto Ji Wan. Consequently, a faint, sweet scent of Omega pheromones still lingered in the ward.

When an Alpha entered such a space, they would inevitably be drawn to the scent.

However, Da Mao noticed Feng Jin’s gaze linger for a moment on Ji Wan’s shoulder where the Omega scent was strongest before his brow furrowed slightly as if in dissatisfaction. Then, those dark, heavy eyes turned toward him.

Da Mao had never seen an Alpha look at him with that kind of expression. It was a look that felt unfamiliar, yet strangely recognizable.

He felt as though… he had only ever seen that look from Omegas who viewed him as a romantic rival.

Da Mao wondered if he was going crazy, but before he could look closer, Feng Jin withdrew his gaze and became perfectly polite.

“Hello,” Feng Jin nodded. “The doctor said he’s mostly recovered. I’m here to take him back so nothing else happens on the way.”

The friends understood. Feeling guilty about further disturbing Ji Wan’s rest, they urged him to call if he needed anything and reluctantly departed.

Once they were gone, Feng Jin took a piece of tissue, wiped Ji Wan’s shoulder, and then gave it a pat.

“What’s wrong? Is my shirt dirty?” Ji Wan asked, puzzled.

“Mhm. Hospitals aren’t clean; the smell of disinfectant is everywhere. It doesn’t smell good. Wipe it off,” Feng Jin said without blinking.

Ji Wan patted his own clothes as well. “I’ll leave it for now. I’ll take a shower when I get back to the dorm.”

“Mhm, let’s go.” As he spoke, Feng Jin saw Ji Wan sway slightly after standing up and instinctively reached out to steady him.

As Ji Wan regained his balance, he glimpsed two tiny needle marks on the vein of Feng Jin’s extended wrist. The marks looked very fresh. For Feng Jin to have given himself two injections, it must have been either last night or this morning.

Feng Jin withdrew his hand and his sleeve fell, hiding the marks once more.

Ji Wan felt a flicker of confusion. Why would Feng Jin need two shots? Usually, isn’t one enough?

Feng Jin clearly didn’t intend to comment on it. He didn’t even mention it, simply leading Ji Wan to a taxi to head back to the dormitory.

When they finally returned, Ji Wan let out a sigh of relief. Despite only being gone for a day, it felt like a lifetime had passed.

“Go on, take a shower. The smell of disinfectant is too strong,” Feng Jin frowned.

Ji Wan didn’t suspect a thing, grabbed a change of clean clothes, and headed into the bathroom.

Watching the door close and hearing the sound of running water, Feng Jin finally relaxed his brow slightly, knowing those “unwelcome” pheromones would soon be washed away.

Feng Jin took a deep breath and sat down, propping his forehead with one hand as he felt the surge of pheromones within his body. His emotions had fluctuated wildly lately. Ji Wan’s injury and the fight he’d had yesterday with those two would-be attackers had stimulated his nerves, causing his pheromones which had finally stabilized to spike again.

Listening to the splashing water, Feng Jin recalled the sight of Ji Wan last night.

Ji Wan had crashed into his arms in a panic. His usually tidy clothes were a mess; his jacket was open, his inner shirt was disheveled, and a large patch of skin on his neck was exposed. Perhaps due to the drugs or the running, Ji Wan’s usually cold, pale complexion was flushed with an alluring pink, making him look entirely different from his usual self.

What would have happened if I hadn’t arrived in time?

What had those people done to him while I wasn’t there? Where had they touched him?

These were questions he couldn’t dwell on; the more he thought, the more agitated he became.

As his thoughts spiraled, Feng Jin unsurprisingly found himself angry enough to need another specialized suppressant injection. He cursed under his breath and opened his locker to rummage for what he needed.

He had never had a friend who required this much of his concern; Ji Wan was the first.

Feng Jin grabbed the syringe. Lost in his wandering thoughts, he didn’t realize the water in the bathroom had stopped. Just as he unpacked the needle and prepared to give himself a shot, a slightly damp hand reached out from the side and gripped his wrist.

Feng Jin’s muscles tightened instinctively, ready to throw a punch at whoever dared touch him, but he relaxed instantly when he realized who it was.

Water droplets still clung to the tips of Ji Wan’s black hair. A stray drop from his wet bangs slid down his face, settling at the corner of his eye.

Ji Wan’s expression was stern, and he didn’t let go of the wrist. “You’ve been using too many injections lately.”

Feng Jin stared dazed at the drop of water sliding down from the corner of Ji Wan’s eye. His hand felt itchy; he wanted to reach out and touch it.

“…What are you looking at? Are you even listening to me?” Ji Wan’s expression grew even more serious. He casually wiped away the irritating droplet, seeing Feng Jin blink as if waking up.

“It’s nothing. This is the best way to solve the problem,” Feng Jin said with difficulty, trying to pick up the thread of the conversation.

Ji Wan frowned in disagreement. “I looked up those injections you use. They are cyclical, meant for specific doses at set intervals. They aren’t meant for multiple uses in a short period it puts a huge burden on your body. I don’t believe you know less about this than I do.”

Feng Jin knew, of course, but he didn’t care. “Doing it once in a while is fine. It won’t kill me.”

Ji Wan’s frown deepened. “Thank you for what you did, but as a way of repaying you, I can’t watch you use these repeatedly in such a short time.”

Feng Jin’s heart, which had just calmed slightly, flared with irritation again. “Repaying?”

He didn’t want to hear that word. He stared angrily at Ji Wan, only to see Ji Wan’s gaze slowly soften.

“As a friend, I definitely can’t let you continue like this,” Ji Wan said.

Feng Jin was successfully pacified. He huffed and looked down at the syringe in his hand. “I can’t bite you again. Your previous injury hasn’t healed. Biting again would just add injury to injury. A shot once in a while is no big deal.”

Ji Wan’s expression became complicated. He looked at Feng Jin and didn’t speak for a moment.

They both knew there weren’t just two methods biting the neck or using injections.

Ji Wan had actually thought it through.

The “third” method of assistance was a bit outside the norm; it was natural to find it hard to accept. But the second method was, to put it plainly, just a slightly deeper version of artificial respiration. If one approached it with a scientific mindset, it was simply a medical treatment there was no need for embarrassment.

Would a rescuer and the person receiving CPR develop romantic entanglements? No. It was the same for him and Feng Jin.

Feng Jin didn’t speak either. After staring at him for a long while, Ji Wan sighed. “Actually, I didn’t expect you to be so shy.”

Feng Jin: “?”

“But then again, who says an Alpha can’t be shy and conservative? I understand.” Ji Wan took the syringe out of Feng Jin’s hand. “Just bite my neck. I’m mostly healed anyway.”

Feng Jin: “…What did you say? I’m shy?”

Ji Wan didn’t say a word, but his eyes were full of a “Don’t worry, I definitely won’t tell anyone” Kind of tolerance.

Feng Jin realized Ji Wan had misunderstood something.

His gaze drifted down from Ji Wan’s eyes, past the bridge of his straight nose, and landed on those seemingly soft lips.

From childhood to now, Feng Jin had never liked close contact with others; it filled him with genuine loathing. A young master like him would never touch food someone else had tasted, let alone share saliva directly it was revolting, he’d rather be stabbed.

But as he looked at those lips now, he felt no disgust whatsoever.

His heart began to beat a little faster.

Feng Jin lowered his eyes and leaned in.